Whoopie!

 For Christmas we were given a Whoopie Pie Pan, a Whoopie Pie Recipe Book, and a box of Red Velvet Mix to go along with. The pan is basically a really really shallow muffin tin, and I bet would make great "muffies" too (muffin tops...which is the best part anyway). Our first go at the pan wasn't quite what I expected. My husband got a little over zealous with filling the tiny pan, and we ended up with Whoopie Bricks instead, but they still tasted really delectable!

 Daniel took the lead on this one, pictures and all! 

He even got all the prep supplies out and ready for use!

 Mixing the batter... Red Velvet looks a bit ominous before it is baked...

 This is where the pan got over-filled. Note to self:  Don't over-fill next time.

 I made the frosting... Cream Cheese, Butter, Powdered Sugar. 

Note to Self: Make sure butter is room temperature next time. 

We used cold butter and it didn't quite come out how I was expecting.

See? Whoopie Bricks. But they were very good, if not a little big!

Here's to a Quiet New Year

As we welcomed in 2012, my husband and I decided to have a quiet night at home with a yummy dinner and a movie. Yes we watched the ball drop, but you can bet I was in bed right after! It was a nice way to end a very busy year. On our New Year's Eve menu was Parmesan-Italian Chicken, Quinoa Primavera, and biscuits. Yum. You can find the quinoa recipe here.

 The chicken was SUPER simple: Lightly wet the chicken with water, coat in grated Parmesan cheese mixed with Good Seasonings Italian Dressing mix, bake until cooked through. Turn the broiler on the last 5 minutes to get a golden brown crust.... it was delicious!

 We've never tried Quinoa before, but it was really tasty and pretty simple. It cooks like rice, and then we added some mixed vegetables, parsley and a touch of cream cheese (it is NYE after all!)...

 Really good! Plus I had leftovers for lunch which made going back to work on January 2 

(yes that's right, we had school on the 2nd...) much better.

Biscuits came from a can, I'm not up to making my own quite yet. Add some wine and a

cozy blanket on the couch... This was a super delicious meal!

A Year in Review

We've had an enormous year, and to commemorate, I wanted to put together a brief overview of what it looked like...sifting through pictures was tough, but to spare you, I just chose a few:

January: 

We rang in the new year from Denver, CO visiting family... and it was COLD!

February:
Nothing major happened... it's kind of the forgotten month.

March: 

I turned 24!

Our good friends got engaged, so we went to Bernhardt winery to celebrate. When Daniel and I got engaged, we went to Messina Hof winery with Rachel and Ross to celebrate, so now it was their turn! Can't wait for their wedding June 2012!

April: 

I had my bridal shower! It was gorgeous and a wonderful time!

 Easter Sunday also occurred in April this year...yeah we were in the hot tub in April...

Ah to live in Texas!

May: 

Was a busy month... the first of many! We celebrated Mother's Day...

 Both Daniel and I had showers at our schools...

 ...and Daniel moved into our little townhouse that we would live in after the wedding!

June:
Oh yeah, and then WE GOT MARRIED!

 ...and took our honeymoon to the Bahamas.

July:  

We spent our first month married adjusting to our new life, introducing our cats to each other, and enjoying time off! My mom got engaged, and I can't wait for their wedding in January!

August: 

Back to school time! Daniel resumed teaching elementary Art, and I started 

5th grade Language Arts and Social Studies.

September: 

Not much happened...Celebrated my sister's and brother-in-law's birthdays

but those pictures are on my mom's camera...

October: 

I started my blog this month, so pretty much everything has been cataloged for the rest of the year... Daniel turned 25! We had our first Halloween passing out candy to the neighborhood (oh adulthood...). And our friend's Matt and Jill had an engagement party in Austin.

November and December:  

Want to see what we were up to? Check out the rest of my blog! We celebrated 

Thanksgiving and Christmas with a lot of family, and tons of food! 

We have been truly blessed this year, and are excited to see what 2012 holds! I already am anticipating my mom's wedding in January, Daniel starting graduate school, my sister having her first baby in June, along with three weddings of good friends... looks like 2012 will be a busy year!

Merry Christmas!

Santa: Myth or Magical?

Teaching fifth grade is tricky around the holidays. Most of my students are still ten years old, and the magical illusion of Santa has not yet been broken. The sweet innocence still glows through their smiles as they talk about the break and Christmas Day. And yet, as my class worked, their conversations drifted to the ever elusive discussion about the reality of Santa, and whether or not you believe. I wandered around listening to what was being said, my curiosity peaked. One group, full of believers, was heatedly talking about what they were hoping to get, while another was debating whether Santa was real, starting to figure out the parental magic at this time of year. The room was dotted with students keeping their mouths shut, uncharacteristic of them, but not wanting to spoil the surprise for their fellow classmates.

My favorite, however, was watching "Mr. Cool" listen to everyone. (Yes, the same boy I wrote a previous blog about, who gave me a huge hug before leaving for break). I knew he had probably known about Santa for years, being a little more "street wise" then I ever want my ten year old to be. He sits next to one of my most intellectual students, who albeit is very quirky, and yet I heard him say "Well of course I believe in Santa!" She looked relieved. When others shot skeptical looks his way, I mentioned, in the words of my mother-in-law "If you stop believing, you'll stop receiving." Well, Mr. Cool thought this was just about the greatest saying he's ever heard, and by the end of the day, I'm pretty sure anyone who thought they knew the secret of Santa, had been persuaded to resume their childhood presumptions, that indeed, Saint Nick is real.

Now I know by next year, all my students will probably know the "lie" cooked up by parents for centuries, but for now, let the innocence remain on their faces for one last year, before the magic is squashed out of their brains, and they are forced to grow up far too fast.

Cuddly Cats

I have been sick all day with a sinus infection and some ongoing asthma issues. After an early morning trip to the doctor, a lecture about not getting a flu shot (way to kick me when I'm down Doc), four hefty prescriptions, and a long nap, I was finally able to get enough strength to move...

...to the couch. Where I am currently laying down. As I sit here and waste time on my computer, my sweet cats came to comfort me. At least that's what I tell myself. I know that they are actually seeking heat from the only warm body in the house, but still, it's nice to have two warm cats snuggling up to you. Boots' peeked his little furry face around the computer screen, while Ellie prefers to monopolize my legs... yes ALL of my legs. But aren't they sweet?

Baking Day!

Today was baking day in the Yager household! While we already made our peppermint meringues on Monday, today was filled with my favorites that always remind me of the holidays, and baking with my mom. I was, and still am, always her helper in the kitchen and seemed somewhat incomplete making these without her today. My first Christmas baking with my new husband, however, made up for it! Nevertheless, the "mom void" will soon be filled as we head to her house tomorrow for another baking endeavour. While in years past, we grew up eating a wide assortment of sweets, we had to keep in mind that we are only two people, and we can't go cookie crazy. We landed on two recipes that are tried and true: Biscotti and Heath Bars! I included the recipes for these two because they are so worth it!

First on the list: Chocolate Chip Biscotti! This cookie is a little labor intensive, but delicious and totally worth the effort. If you have never eaten home-made biscotti before, you are missing out... believe me! Store bought doesn't even compare.

View Biscotti Recipe Here

Heath bars were next on the list, and are basically Christmas crack... be careful! 

Oh, and an added bonus: only 5 basic ingredients!

 Place saltine crackers, salt side up, in a 13x9 baking dish.

 Melt two sticks of butter (Paula Deen would be proud!) and half a cup of sugar on the stove top. Let boil for three minutes and pour over crackers. Bake at 450 for three minutes in the oven. Then pour an entire bag of chocolate chips over the top (yeah, the whole bag!)

Spread the chips when they have melted, and top with chopped nuts 

(pictured here are walnuts, but any of your favorites would work.)

We also made another round of "buttons" that were pictured earlier (pretzels, Hershey kisses, and M&Ms). Although, someone left them in the oven for too long and the chocolate seized up... so the whole tray ended up in the trash. Now who could have done such a thing???

Merry Christmas and Happy Baking!